High School Football Coach in Huntsville Arrested on DUI Charges

Grissom High School

The head football coach at Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, was arrested on Saturday, August 13, on suspicion of DUI while on school property.

The 45-year-old man was arrested Saturday night after blowing a .12 on a breathalyzer test, Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Casey Wardynski told The Huntsville Times. The legal limit in Alabama is .08.

A neighbor had called police on Saturday to tell them about a loud noise coming from the high school practice field. There, the coach was mowing the lawn with his personal lawn mower and his personal trailer, which was attached to a truck that belonged to the school district. The truck had apparently gotten stuck in the field, causing the noise that alerted neighbors.

The man was released from the Madison County Jail on Sunday. He has been put on administrative leave with pay pending further investigation.

The Huntsville Times reports that a number of community members and colleagues have written letters and started a petition to defend the character of the coach, who is reportedly a single father of five. He was named head football coach at Grissom High in June 2002 and also served as head football coach at Sparkman High School from 1999-2002.